China expresses shock, concern over Yao Ming injury

Published 6:00 pm, Monday, February 25, 2008

Yao Ming's season-ending foot injury caused shock and concern in his native China on Wednesday, though hopes remained high he'd recover in time for the Beijing Olympics in August.

The NBA All-Star is the world's best known Chinese athlete and far and away the most popular sports star in China, embodying the country's collective hopes for global competitiveness and international acceptance.

While China is not considered a leading Olympic medal contender in basketball, the 2008 Olympic hosts see Yao as one of the faces of the games. They're counting on him to lift the event's public profile, and draw fans and viewers from around the world.

"The only thing offering Yao Ming any solace at this time is that his injury will not force him to miss the Beijing Olympics of his dreams," leading newspaper Titan Sports said in a front page article.

The Houston Rockets' center was ruled out for the season Tuesday with a stress fracture in his left foot, dealing a major blow to his team's playoff hopes.

While word of Yao's injury arrived too late for most Chinese newspaper deadlines, it was a leading item on the main national midday television news report.

Doctors blamed the injury on accumulated stress on the bone, rather than any single incident. Titan said the true cause was the Rockets' failure to provide a reliable substitute for Yao, forcing him to play long minutes every game.

Yao's injuries elicit major concern among Chinese sponsors and television stations broadcasting Rockets games, since viewership tends to fall dramatically when he is not playing.

A spokesman for the Chinese Olympic Association said it had no statement on Yao's condition and the Chinese Basketball Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apart from Yao, the Chinese national team also boasts former Dallas Mavericks center Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese player in the NBA, along with 6-foot-11 power forward Yi Jianlian of the Milwaukee Bucks.